The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-10-09
THOSE STOLEN NOTES.
Maurice McGrath on Trial at
Provo.
THE EVIDENCE IN THE CASE
Some Interesting Developments Are
Looked For-The Case Comes
Up Again Tomorrow.

Up Again Tomorrow.
The case of the People VS.. Maurice
! McGrath, who is charged with grand lar
ceny, in stealing the reporter'a notes il
the BulIion-Beck and Champion Min
ing case, the loss of which necessitateC
another trial, began in Provo yester-
day.
Mr.. James NJ. Kimball appears fol-
the Prosecution, and his opening state
ment was to the following effect:
1t will appear in evidence that from
the 21st of September, 1885, to the 10th
of October, 1885, there was case pend
ing between the Eureka Beck VS.. Cham.
pion Mining Comp any. Alma H. Winn
was official stenographer; in that time
he had taken testimony to fill eleven
books, and on the 10th OF October, 1885,
Saturday, the court adjourned at $50.
The reporter was ordered to make some
copies of the evidence, and took the
books with him in the smoking car in
a satchel. He left them there while he
went into another car; when he reached
a point near Salt Lake, he found them
missing. A few days after the satchel
was found along the line of the road
near Provo, and the satchel was cut
open. McGrath knew that Saturday
night that the notes were lost. 1t was
not known in Provo or Salt Lake until
the next day, and the defendant
McGrath knew of it and confessed
to two or three that he was con-
nected with the taking of the notes. 1t
will appear that after ne was indicted
ne confessed to two or three that he
took the notes and the manner of tax
ing them.
The first witness for the prosecution
was John Gibben. Resides in Tintic
was in Provo at the time of the mining
suit week or so, because of sickness in
his family. in 1885; knew Maurice Nc
| Grath; remembered hearing of tAe lost
reports; heard of it first Saturday
evening, about 1890; the court had ad.
ioarned about $50 on Saturday, aud
the Judge, clerk and others went to
4 Salt Lake; that evening, when heard
1 of it. | was in front of DR.. Simmons
drug store in Provo; McGrath asked
me there if ! had heard the news; |
/
records Of the court were stolen; | did
not believe it at the time, but next
morning it was reported all over town.
Alma H. VIM was the second wit
ness. The clerk was sworn in as to the
record, but il was admitted to be the
record of the court without veri6CatiOn.
Alma II. Vim testified that he was
| the official stenographer of this court,
and in the mining case referred to re-
| ported the testimony of the case; had
| filled eleven bookS-reporting size;
kept them in a drawer in the court
room; being requested to write out some
of the testimony, took them from the
court house to my room in the after
noon preparing to go to Salt Lake; put
them in a satchel and went to the
train; went in the smoking car, and
| put them on the seat, after that | got
off the car and walked on the platform
| then went into the same car again.
MIR. Brown went in with macarthur
| Brown; he said he wanted to talk with
me that evening; the train had just
got on the way when l went into the
rear of the train; did not sit down by
my things at all.
! When the train arrived in Salt Lake l
went back to get my things; found the
them, but could find nothing; put eleven
books in the satchel at my room at
Provo; never saw them again; saw the
remnants Of the @. satchel at Sheriff
Turner's office; my key opened the
lock but with little difficulty.
remnant of an old sutchel was pro-
duced in Court and identified as having
! the appearance of the satchel in ques-
ton. 1t is undoubtedly portion of the
satchel that the notes and books were in.
Continuing, witness said the eleven
books would make package of about
six inches in thickness do not know of
my own knowledge where the satchel
was found; Bennett, Dixon, Myers and
others were on the train. My first notice
of the loss was to Judge Emerson and
the train hands; the first notice gave
to Provo was the next morning when l.
returned. 1t was announced to parties
interested in the case the evening OF the
loss, also put notice of it in the papers
that come out Sunday morning. Saw
McGrath around the Court at the time
the case was in progress; the actual
time in taking testimony was about
eleven days; the value OF the notes
according to the work in taking them,
was at $l0per day. They were the notes
Oh al Important ululuS case, duO ILLS
would make them of some value.
The defense objected to the witness
stating the value in this way, which
should be according to the books and
their intrinsic value. The question was
argued on both sides, and finally de-
ferred until authorities were examined.
oss-examined-Wa in the habit of
transcribing notes whenever called
uDOn had tvDe-Writer at nv room but
did some writing in the court house;
may have taken the books to my room
at times; put notice in the papers
offering $50 rewards.
A. G. Emerson-Was clerk of this
court in 1885; was in PrRyo during the
mining case; had rooms with MIR, VIM;
was in Provo at the time the notes were
lost, the 10th of October; left here with
Mr.. VIM to 60 to the depot; he had a
satchel with him; he took some papers
with him, about the size OF pocket note;
bound in manila covers, about the de
scription OF the reporters books on the
L = L. - foI